Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen arrives before a plenary session at the National Assembly of Cambodia in Phnom Penh on Jan 31, 2017. (Photo courtesy: Reuters)

(TibetanReview.net, Feb07, 2017) – To make a point of giving further boost to his long-standing “One China” credentials, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen has warned an audience of about 5,240 people against displaying either the Taiwanese or Tibetan flags, reported China’s official Xinhua news agency Feb 4. “We support the one-China policy and respect China’s sovereignty,” he was quoted as having told a dinner gathering of Khmer-Chinese and overseas Chinese.

It said the prime minister told the dinner gathering held by the Association of Khmer-Chinese that good relations with the regional giant were a boon to the Kingdom, which had accepted hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of low-interest loans in recent years, reported phnompenhpost.com Feb 6. Hun Sen has called China’s rise a boon for ASEAN.

“In the case of Taiwan,” the prime minister was quoted as saying, “I request that Khmer-Chinese refrain from celebrating Taiwanese holidays and brandishing the Taiwanese flag, as it is prohibited,” adding the same applied to Tibet.

He has called Taiwan “just a province of China”, while also saying, “Tibet also belongs to China,” according to the Xinhua report.

Hun Sen has said Cambodia will remain open to Taiwanese investors and travelers, but that his government will “not allow a Taiwanese embassy to open in Phnom Penh”.